The Race for Snape
by Sicaria Snape
Summary: Four girls..four different houses...one Snape
1. The Bet is Set

The Bet is Set!

**The Bet is Set!**

_Author's Notes: Keep your damn hands off my spam! Otherwise, I'll..I'll...uhh...lose my spam! Yeah! So take that! Oh yeah, and enjoy this story._

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Katharina and Isabel ran into the Gryffindor common room laughing. Isabel collapsed on the floor, clutching her side. 

"Did you do it?!" Shelly and Marguerite asked, excitedly.

"Yes!" Katharina managed to gasp out. "Ohhh...I hope they don't figure out who did it!"

"What did you do?" asked a fifth year boy, who was trying to study in a chair by the fire.

"Promise you wont tell, Garret?" Katharina asked.

"Promise."

"We....we...," she broke down laughing again. The other three started giggling again too. "We spray painted Mrs. Norris pink!" the four girls starting laughing again.

"You didn't!" he exclaimed. "Oh! I wish I had seen this! You'll probably be found out, you know."

"It was worth it," Katharina declared. 

"I knew that spray paint would come in handy," Marguerite said slyly.

Garret shook his head. "I'm going to bed. You girls are crazy."

"Goodnight!" they chorused.

The four girls got up and moved to various couches and chairs around the fireplace. They were making themselves comfortable, as that's where they were going to be spending the night. You see, three of the girls didn't belong in Gryffindor Tower.

Marguerite was in Hufflepuff. She was an 18 year old, blond haired, blue eyed girl from Paris, France. She played Quidditch for her house too, since her fourth year. She was a Chaser. Outside of Hogwarts, she was also a model. Marguerite also managed to get into her fair share of trouble. Back in her second year she had run away from Hogwarts, and just last year, her sixth year, she and her three friends had gotten in severe trouble for un authorized trips to the Muggle world. 

Isabel was in Ravenclaw. She was 13 when she started at Hogwarts, as her name had somehow been either missed, or was never recorded has having magic potential. Isabel was pure Muggle. What the Slytherin's liked to call a "mudblood". She was from Madrid, Spain, and had brown hair and brown eyes, and was now 19 years old. Isabel had been involved in a few extraordinary things herself. Back in her third year, she had been lost in a blizzard, and in her fifth year she had gotten involved with the raising of an unauthorized unicorn foal. She and Hagrid had been in on that one fifty-fifty though. Isabel also played Quidditch for her house since her fourth year. She was her team's Seeker.

Shelly was the only "pureblood" in the group. She belonged to Slytherin House, and was quite short at 5'3". She had dark black hair, and grey eyes, and lived her whole life, 18 years, in London, England. She played Quidditch since her third year, and was her team's Keeper. She had been quiet and often moody since her mother's passing, which occurred during her second year. Her fourth year at Hogwarts, she had tried to commit suicide. That was an event that made her more appreciated by her friends.

Katharina was from Gryffindor. She was quite tall, at 6'1" and had shocking red hair and green eyes. She was also 18 years old. Katharina was the loud one of the group. Very outgoing, and not shy at all. She played Quidditch for her house since her second year, and was one of her team's Beaters. Nothing seemed to slow Katharina down. In her fifth year at Hogwarts, she was raped by one of the older classmen, and her friends feared that it would change her. But it hadn't. Not even the death of her favorite owl in her third year had managed to quiet her exuberant personality. Katharina liked to joke that it was her German heritage. She was from Hanover.

So you can imagine the shock that Dumbledore received when he was told of these four girls' friendship in their first year. Ever since then, the staff has been trying to encourage inter-house friendships. "We're trend-setters," Marguerite liked to remark.

After the four girls had settled down, Katharina remarked, "That wasn't a _bad_ bet. But it wasn't really thought provoking."

"Uh-oh," quipped Shelly. "She has an idea!"

Katharina smiled. "I have a "sort-of" idea."

"Those are the most interesting," Isabel said.

"Well!" Katharina said. "Let me tell you about it. First of all, it involves our favorite Potions master..."

"Oh, now really," interrupted Shelly. "Can't you just leave the poor man alone?"

"He's given you detention three times in the last two weeks!" Katharina exclaimed. 

Shelly just laughed and shook her head. "I don't mind."

Marguerite rolled her eyes. "You're the only one who doesn't. We miss your company."

"Anyway!" Katharina interrupted. "As we're the four most lovely young ladies here at Hogwarts-"

"Thank you, thank you," Marguerite interjected. The girls laughed.

"As I was saying. Since we're the four loveliest ladies at Hogwarts, wouldn't it be interesting to see who was the lovelier than the loveliest?"

"Er..I'm not following," said Shelly.

"I propose, that we set a bet, for..say...50 galleons each, that we can attract a man more quickly than the other three."

"That's 150 galleons!" Isabel exclaimed.

"Shhh! Yes it is."

"Who do I have to seduce?" Isabel asked, rubbing her hands greedily infront of her, in a mock gesture.

Katharina's eyes sparkled. "Professor Snape."

The other three girls squealed. 

"Ew, gross, Katharina!" Marguerite exclaimed. "And besides, no one would ever win. He's untouchable."

"Is he? I have 50 galleons that says he isn't."

The other three girls looked at each other.

"I'm in," said Isabel. "I can't pass up getting 50 galleons."

"I'm in too," said Marguerite. "He wont be able to resist me."

Shelly chewed on her lower lip.

"Well, Shell?" Katharina asked. 

Slowly, a smile crept over her face. "You are going to lose. He'll chose a Slytherin over you three. I'm in."

"Excellent!" said Katharina. "The games shall begin tomorrow at breakfast, if you're ready then."

"Wait!" said Shelly suddenly. "How do we know who wins?"

"Hmm...good point," said Katharina. "How about, whomever he kisses first?"

The girls looked at Katharina open mouthed. 

"It'll never happen, Kathy," Isabel said. 

"We have all year to work on it!" Katharina said excitedly. 

"So, we're on the honor system again?" Marguerite asked.

The girls laughed.

"I'd never lie to you guys!" Isabel exclaimed.

"Me either!" the other three chorused. 

And they got down to the serious business of candy eating and gossiping.


	2. Katharina

Katharina's POV

**If you eat Oat Bran, that's like what a horse eats. So if you are what you eat, are you oats, or a horse? I'd rather be a horse, and run wild and free, than be oats sitting in a bowl.**

I wasn't sure when I would be able to try to get on with the bet. I wanted to start as soon as possible, but that's how I usually am about things. I just get up and get going. 

Waiting for him was killing me. I didn't have Potions class with him today, so I had to devise some other means of meeting him. Of course, it's not as easy as I make it seem. You can't just run into Snape anywhere at any time. He's usually holed up in his dungeons....

So, try as hard as I might, I couldn't possibly think of any way at all of encountering Professor Snape outside of his office. I couldn't very well approach him at mealtimes and expect him to kiss me. 

By the time I went down to the Great Hall that evening to talk with my friends, I was thoroughly frustrated. I just hoped no one else had been working faster than I had. How embarrassing to lose the bet you set yourself. Argh.

The others were already there when I arrived. Before I sat down next to them though I asked, "Have any of you done it yet?"

Everyone looked up at me, then around at each other, and then slowly shook their heads. 

"It's too early," Shelly pointed out. "Give us time to work."

"Yeah, you're cramping our style," Isabel joked.

"We know how badly you want to win, Kat," Marguerite teased. Trust Margie to get it right on the head. I had to laugh though.

"Yeah, yeah, well, I could use the money," I said, brushing it off.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Then we got down to some serious gossiping. Well, the others did. Every now and then I tried to think of ways to "accidentally" run into Professor Snape. That or I was concocting some false pretense in order to visit him in his quarters this late at night.

After an hour I looked at my watch. It was almost nine. "I should get going," I said, standing up. "I have some homework that desperately needs my attention, unless you know a house elf that does homework?"

"I already tried," Isabel laughed.

The others got up when I did, and at the entarance to the Great Hall we split up and went four different ways. I was on my way up to Gryffindor Tower when I spotted him. Professor Snape was gliding toward me, his black robes billowing out behind him. To my amazement, he slowed down as I approached. 

"Katharina," he breathed. That made me stop in my tracks. His voice had a different tone than it usually did, and all in all, there was a different....aura...about him.

"Professor," I acknowledged.

"I believe...there's a matter of business we need to discuss," he said smoothly.

I was shocked out of my gourd. "P-p-pardon me?" I asked stupidly.

He advanced on me, and in one swift movement had enveloped me in his arms. His lips pressed against mine, and my breath was taken away. 

Now, I've kissed a fair amount of guys in my time, but this was different. This kiss made my feet root to the ground, and my head feel light and empty. Somewhere far off I heard the clock strike nine. 

The kiss lasted only five seconds, if that. When we broke apart, I was in shock, and he had a smirk on his face.

"Good evening, Katharina," he said quietly, and walked away. 

I turned as if to make for my dorm, but suddenly thinking of a million things to say I turned to him...or where he should have been. He had disappeared as swiftly has he had delivered that kiss. I was shocked, appalled, and jubilant that I had won.

And oh yeah, I was in love.


	3. Marguerite

Marguerite's POV

**If you roll around in a tub of butter, it'll be harder for me to get my hands on you, you darn kids, what with the lawn dart throwing on my lawn and all! Wait until I get my hands on you then....**

All four of us parted at the entrance to the Great Hall. I watched Katharina head upstairs, Shelly head downstairs, and Isabel head down the hall to the right. I turned to the left, and started walking. I wasn't really thinking about anything in particular. Of course, the bet we had made was still in my mind, but I wasn't even sure I was going to try to win it. Did I want to kiss Snape? I don't think I'm reading for those kind of consequences.

I was almost at the Hufflepuff portrait, when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. Turning around, I saw Professor Snape, giving me a piercing glare.

"Marguerite, is it?" he asked, coming toward me.

"Yes, sir," I replied, chin up. I wouldn't let him hear my voice shaking if I could help it. The truth is, when Snape is close enough to you that you could reach out and touch him, you start to notice other things about him. Like the fact that he smells good.

Of course, it's different for every girl, I suppose, but for me, my weakness are men who smell good. We stood there for a moment. He was looking me over, warily, it seemed, and I just stood there breathing in as often as would be acceptable. I didn't want to look weird or anything, but I was suddenly becoming weak. Worst of all, I was developing a crush that was growing deeper the longer he looked at me like that.

"Well, I've never been good at this," Snape said suddenly, and then ever so quickly he had me wrapped in an embrace. His lips tasted sweet on mine, and I was becoming lost in his scent. 

When I do my modeling, the photographers usually want me to kiss the man who is in the picture with me. They say this helps to show emotion, but most times I think they just want to see some action. Anyway, this experience with Snape started out like one of those. It was just something I did. There was no emotion, everything was mechanical. But then something odd happened. It was like a spark had gone off, or someone had flipped a switch in my mind. My lips parted and my tongue flicked out to touch his lips before he parted them for me. I wrapped my arms around him, and ran my fingers through his hair. Somewhere in the distance I heard a clock strike nine.

He pulled away first, much to my dismay. Snape had a dazed, shocked look on his face, before he dashed down the dark hallway. It was a first for me. Usually men waited around for more. 

I touched my lips with my fingers and sighed. It felt wonderful to have won, but more wonderful to be....well....to be in love.


	4. Isabel

Isabel's POV

**Once when I was in class I wondered what it would be like to walk in my teacher's shoes, but then I looked and saw they were imitation leather. I mean, ew. Who would want to wear those?**

My friends and I left the Great Hall and departed for our separate dormitories. It was too bad that we weren't all in the same house. That would have been some experience. Of course, I'd want them all to be in Ravenclaw.

I was preoccupied with these thoughts, and thoughts of that stupid bet we had made, when I noticed a light tapping noise on the windows. It was raining. Not hard, but a soft gentle rain. Suddenly, I got this urge to run outside and dance in the rain. What was keeping me from doing so?

I looked up and down the hallway, and then darted outside the nearest exit. Students weren't supposed to be outside after dark, but the rain felt so good. I raised my arms up towards the sky and started spinning in circles. Then I jumped around a bit, did a backflip, and went back to laughing and spinning circles. This was definitely one of the more crazy things I had done, and I hoped fervently that no one was watching me.

It was just at that moment, as that thought crossed my mind, that I felt someone watching me. I turned back toward the doorway and saw a tall, lean figure outlined in the light from the hallway. Somehow, deep in the pit of my stomach, I knew who it was. 

Snape.

"Good evening, sir," I called out cheerfully. Merlin's beard, was I in trouble!

He stepped out from the doorway into the rain. "I wasn't aware that students were allowed outside after hours," he said silkily.

"I...er....just stepped out to get some air," I lied quickly.

"Really? Was that what that display was all about?" he asked me, raising an eyebrow.

Water was streaming down my face, getting into my eyes, so I'm not quite sure how it happened. All I know is that one minute Professor Snape was looking at me, and the next minute his lips were on mine. The kiss was short, but somewhere in that time I heard my watch go off as it hit nine o'clock. 

When he pulled away, he extended his arm. "Shall we?" he asked smoothly. Numbly, I took it and we headed back into the dry corridor. Before I could say a word to him he was off marching down the hallway in the opposite direction that I was headed.

I tried to shrug off the feeling I was getting. The tight constricting feeling that made me feel oh-so-good, and yet oh-so-sick at the same time. 

I had a crush on Professor Snape.


	5. Shelly

Shelly's POV

**It smells fruity and tropical all in one. The exotic scent reminded you of far-off places as you breathed deeper. That's when you've realized you inhaled a gummy bear.**

I walked slowly toward the Slytherin common rooms. I was a little down. There was no point in denying it. When Katharina had brought up that bet, my insides had twisted in an unpleasant way. The truth was, I had liked Professor Snape for quite some time now. I didn't know how to tell my friends. I don't think I could stand it if they laughed at me.

I was scuffing my shoes along the way. They made a sharp squeaking sound, as I brushed them against the floor of the Hogwart's hallway. The dungeons were so much colder than the rest of the school, but I didn't mind terribly. I'd rather be terribly cold, than unbearably hot.

These were the thoughts that were drifting through my mind as I scuffed through the hallway towards my common room. I guess I was making more noise than I thought, because soon I heard the deep, smooth voice of the Head of Slytherin. 

"Do you think you could possibly walk without making such a racket?" Snape said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I'm sorry, sir," I replied. A blush was creeping up my neck as I thought of the bet we had made that involved this man. 

"You're blushing," he noted. I knew he would.

"I'm just...a bit flushed," I replied evenly. 

"Indeed..." he replied, trailing off. All this time he had been coming steadily closer to me, until he was standing not more than a foot away from my person.

Quite suddenly, I was engulfed in his black robes as he drew me close toward him. His lips were on mine before I could utter one note of protest. I put my arms around his neck as the kiss intensified. I parted my lips for him, and I felt his tongue gently enter my mouth as a clock struck nine. His hands were running up and down my back, as mine were running through his hair. It felt so wonderful, I never wanted it to end. I felt a tear trickle down my cheek as he pulled away.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

I just shook my head, and turned to walk toward the portrait that lead to the common rooms.

He grabbed my arm. "Shelly?" he asked me. 

"It was wonderful," I said quietly. To the portrait I muttered "parseltongue". As it swung open I turned to say something to Snape, but he was gone. I smiled to myself. He was such a mysterious man.

And I loved him.


	6. The Truth Is Told

Professor Snape's POV

**It takes two to tango and three to limbo, but when you polka, you do it alone.**

Of course I knew what those twits were up to. Nothing goes on in my house without my finding out about it sooner or later. It just so happened that I found out about their foolish bet the day after it was set. Shelly had come into the common rooms, and had immediately sat down to talk to a fellow housemate about her slumber party she had had in Gryffindor Tower, of all places.

I was listening, of course, hoping that some rule breaking had gone on and I could deduct points from Gryffindor for it. Instead, I heard about the bet that was made involving me. I must say that at first I was shocked. I hadn't thought that I would ever be the subject of a bet of such qualities. However, the more I thought on it, the more irritated I became. Who did these insipid girls think they were? Did they honestly think they could outwit me? That's when I formulated my plan.

I went straight to Dumbledore, and told him what I planned to do. He was reluctant at first, but then agreed. He thought it was best that I solved this on my own, as further involvement by more staff would cause increased embarrassment to the girls. It was also from Dumbledore that I obtained the timeturner. This was necessary to my plan, which was fairly ingenious, even if I do say so myself.

I planned to use the timeturner to kiss each girl at precisely the same moment. That way, they would all win. This was the plan that I told Dumbledore. The part I didn't tell him was that I hoped by doing this it would break them apart. Each would claim to have won the bet, and of course that couldn't be possible. A argument would ensue, and there would be no more of this inter-house nonsense.

My plan proceeded perfectly. When I noticed that Gryffindor girl, Katharina, stand up in the Great Hall, I put myself in position and waited. It was too perfect. They all left at the same time. Best friends to the end.

I intercepted Katharina fairly easy, played my part well, and departed. 

With Marguerite I encountered something I hadn't counted on. 

Desire.

When she parted her lips, and I felt her tongue on my lips....ahem...well, it was difficult to remember why I was there exactly, but I had pulled myself together soon enough, and was off to the next twit.

Isabel her name was, and I caught her prancing around outside in the rain. What a nitwit. I dispensed with her easy enough, but with Shelly came another difficulty. 

Shelly enjoyed kissing me. She thought it was "wonderful". She cried. 

I felt wretched that I had gotten carried away with her.

However, that feeling was easily swept aside, and I retreated to my private chambers to dwell on what had taken place that evening. I could barely sleep for want of seeing the reaction tomorrow morning would bring.

~~*****~~

I had been right about their reaction. There was an argument outside the Great Hall in the morning. As the students trickled in, they were all murmuring about it. I positively shivered with suppressed mirth. It was even harder to contain myself when Katharina stopped into the Great Hall, trailed one by one by her three ex-friends. I took a sip of pumpkin juice, but nearly spit it out when I heard Shelly exclaim, "You're a slut, Marguerite! I loved him first!"

Merlin's Beard. I hadn't counted on that.

"You're both wrong!" Isabel yelled, shaking with anger. "I love him more than both of you!"

"All of you are wrong!" Katharina shouted. "I love him!"

The four raced toward each other, and I thought a fist fight would ensue, but instead they all stood close together screaming at each other. The Great Hall was turned into a mass of screaming students when Katharina suddenly jumped on Shelly. Each house was backing their own representative.

"Enough!" boomed a voice. Dumbledore had arrived. "Will you four young ladies please follow me to my office?" He then looked at me. "Professor Snape, would you kindly follow?"

I rose from my chair and solemnly followed the group. Upon entering his office, all four girls began talking at once.

"I won the bet, Professor," Katharina was saying.

"I started when I wont the bet," Isabel said.

"They're all jealous that I won the bet," Marguerite stubbornly claimed while Shelly said calmly,

"All I know is that I won."

Dumbledore held up his hands. "Enough," he said sternly. "I'm most disappointed in all of you, including you, Severus."

I started. This was not going the way I had planned.

"When we agreed on your usage of the timeturner, I thought you meant to explain to these girls what you had done. I see that I was wrong."

I hung my head. I felt as I had back in my student years, when I had attended Hogwarts. Dumbledore had spoken to me more than once then too in this tone of voice.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster," I replied.

"I see that, Severus, and your apology will suffice," Dumbledore said, nodding at me and smiling.

"Excuse me," Katharina interjected. Those Gryffindors are always interrupting. "But what's this about a timeturner?"

"I used a timeturner to kiss you all at nine o'clock," I replied sharply. "I heard about your little bet from Shelly, when she told Miss Davenport in the Slytherin common room."

All four of the girls' mouths were shaped in perfect o's. I allowed myself a smirk. "I hope you realize how ridiculous you all were being this morning in the Great Hall," I admonished.

The girls looked at the floor, not daring to look at each other. Dumbledore took that opportunity to say, "I hope that you also realize you should never let a silly bet come between true friendship. Nor should you let your...ah...feelings for others intercede on your relationships with your friends."

Isabel was the first to look up at her friends. "I'm sorry, you guys," she said, smiling.

"I'm sorry, too!" the others replied in unison. They all lept up to hug each other, and then Dumbledore dismissed them. 

"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore said, getting a dreamy look in his eye. "To be young again."

I silently put the timeturner on his desk.

"So how does it feel, Severus?" Dumbledore pressed, leaning forward and clasping his hands together. "How does it feel to have admirers?

"I feel slightly ill, Professor," I replied sincerely. "Those twits kept me quite busy last night."

"I believe they call them groupies nowadays," Dumbledore replied with a twinkle in his eye.

"I call them a nuisance," I countered, as I swept out of the Headmaster's office. I swear I could hear him chuckling as I descended the steps.

There was no way I would admit to him, or anyone else, that I had thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience.

~~***The End***~~


End file.
